Willing to adapt
by l2adiol2obot
Summary: Set after the chaotic events that happened at the CIA hide out during First Class. Alex is reeling from losing a close friend. Xavier uncovers some important information that could dramatically alter everything. Slash. Havin or Alendo.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I totally went to see first class and fell in love with it. I'm totally going to start writing stories for Erik/Charles and of course our Dear Alex / Darwin.

Cause seriously, how could subtext not be so subtle in that movie! There were tons of bits and goody pieces between these two that didn't get fully explored like it should of.

**Title:** Willing to Adapt

**Rating:** T

**Spoilers:** YES, SOME.

**Pairing(s):** Alex/Armando - Havok/Darwin ;; Hints of Erik/Charles

Set during the movie, shortly after they arrive at Charles' mansion and begin training with their powers. Can be seen as a AU I guess. I don't think so since I'll mainly stick to what goes down. Except for one fine detail that the writers should of done.

This may stay short chapters or get longer. all depends on my feedback.

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><p>WILLING TO ADAPT<p>

"CHAPTER ONE"

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><p>It was irrational.<p>

He knew it was, but he couldn't help it. He knew it was all his fault. It was always his fault. Whenever he used his abilities, bad shit followed. So naturally he wasn't surprised that something bad happened when he used his abilities again. But _this_... Something of this magnitude hadn't been what he had been expecting. To actually be the cause of someone he had let in his life to die. Yeah, okay, so sure, That Shaw dickhead was the one to put the energy into his friend's body. But who made that atomic energy?

Alex did and he regrets going along with the last minute plan every second of the day as he sits in his new room in the mansion. He had told Darwin that it was a bad idea and that he didn't want to do it in those last seconds he had with him.. But Darwin was stubborn, always had been and Alex had liked that about him. Claimed he'd be okay cause he was practically invincible. Well, lookie here. "You weren't invincible you dumb jackass." Alex whispers to himself bitterly.

Alexander gazed out of his window, he was situated on the second floor and Xavier had respected his requests for being roomed alone from the other boys. He didn't have a problem with big foot or Sean. He was just worried for their safety. The last thing he needed or wanted either was people hearing him have nightmares. He was used to being alone, after what happened...

Let's just say it was better if he kept people at a distance. Especially after what happened with Armando. He never wanted anything like that to happen again. He worried about his control over his powers. Would he ever get a better grip on it? Or would what happened constantly be in the back of his mind...haunting him. Telling him he wasn't good enough to stop what had happened. How he had stood by feeling so helpless and watched his friend essentially turn to a pile of ashes.

Alex didn't know how he felt about Professor X and Magneto leaving them alone again. Off to recruit someone that showed promise. Probably wanted to replace their low numbers after the what happened at the CIA place. His eyes trailed down a form down below, looks like Big foot was running. Hank McCoy. Maybe it was jealousy, he didn't know.

He was smart himself, but not as smart as the geek with big feet. Maybe it was the fact that he reminded him of his brother that he had no idea was. He knew he had a brother still out there somewhere. But he had been too young to really remember him. Only a name. Scott. It didn't matter, his brother had probably gotten adopted shortly after Alex did and was in the care of a loving family. Or maybe off doing something big. He was smart enough to be a teacher.

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><p>"Why didn't you tell the children about what we're going to do?" Erik asked with curiosity. Usually Charles felt the need to reassure everyone about everything. The guy was too damn kind and naive sometimes. But maybe that's why Erik liked him, felt comfortable around him. It was a trait he had grown to miss due to his upbringing. "Because Erik, I'd like to think of it as a surprise. I myself was shocked upon feeling the presence of a familiar mind. But I am pleased to know that he came out okay." Charles added softly as they took a drive in a cab, returning to their point of origin. The ruins of what had been the original base of operations.<p>

"Why is he still here?"

"Because my friend, he needs time to recover and adapt. Essentially he was just pure energy. But his ability allows him to basically rebuild his own body once more. It's simply a remarkable genetic mutation I would love to explore." Erik smiled and gazed out the window. He wouldn't mind taking a look at the young man's DNA himself. Charles wasn't the only one who was interested in science and all it had to offer.

"How long will it actually take for him to rebuild his body?"

"Only time will tell. First let's recover the energy and have Hank build a recovery room for him. Hopefully it will help speed the process.

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><p><strong>Any feedback appreciated! Like it? Let me know so I can start working on chapter two. : )<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Okay so I got an idea for how this is going to work. Because frankly, i'm betting it doesn't take a little while to REBUILD your body when your just pure energy.

**Title:** Willing to Adapt

**Rating:** T

**Spoilers:** YES, SOME.

**Pairing(s):** Alex/Armando - Havok/Darwin ;; Hints of Erik/Charles (maybe soon)

This chapter is split. The first part reflects during the movie and the second is set well after the movie. Then the third chapter, if and when I start working on it should stay in the future. : )

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><p>WILLING TO ADAPT<p>

"CHAPTER TWO"

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><p>A lot had changed since he had been that kid in lock down.<p>

Most of it was good, not at all what he had expected to happen to him when he saw two strange men standing there. Saying that they needed him, what he could do. That they would help him. He remembered thinking that he was the only one like this. Born different. That he had done something wrong and had been cursed with this.. ability. He certainly hadn't thought of it as a gift back in the day.

Why had he been in prison?

Thinking about his past led him to thoughts about just how much had changed. The fact that when people looked at him, he is something more than some no good criminal. Especially when those looks don't tell him that he is never going to be the son that they tried to replace him with. Alex had gotten used to pretending to be something that he wasn't. So used to it in fact that it was almost hard being the person that he had never gotten the chance to become. Alex had grew up with two other brothers. He had been the youngest, his childhood is fuzzy. Alex never knew why until one night Professor Xavier came to him well after the aftermath of Shaw. Alexander could remember it clearly as if it had been the other day.

The sound of a powered wheelchair had broken through the young man's thought process. Alex had tried hard to smile whenever the others came to his room or invited him out with them. But the fact remained the same... How could he be happy when they had lost someone? Sure, maybe they weren't as close to Armando like he had been, but how could they smile and pretend that everything was okay? "Because, you are different and they do not share the connection you had with Darwin." Alex looked towards the professor. His thoughts ringing loud and clear towards the teacher.

"My apologies, _Armando_, his loss was irrefutable. I do not know how I can ever forgive myself for not being there with you children during that time." Alexander had already started to shake his head at the professor. "It's not your fault, you didn't know they would be planning something like this. It's mine..." Alex didn't even have to elaborate in words. Hell, he didn't think he could of if he had tried.

So he did the only thing that came naturally nowadays when he talked with the professor. He walked towards him, knelt before him as if he was a lowly peasant bowing towards their king. His right hand that had been by his side suddenly moved forward and placed it within Charles'. Alexander knew the professor didn't need to touch someone to have access with their mind, but it had always been the child's way of saying. 'it's okay'. His silent permission to enter his uncharted world with possibly secrets buried underneath everything.

Alex poured all the emotions he was feeling, some he had been conscious of, others that he hadn't yet discovered. Poured them into his soon to be mentor, all his insecurities, all his worries, doubt, heart-ache and guilt. It had been enough to the point that Charles had to move away from the young man. Distraught, panting, they both looked at each other.

Alex fought the tears while Charles let his fall unashamed. In that moment, Alex envied the older man, wishing he could have the strength to bare his emotions without feeling ashamed or embarrassed if who he was. Instead he hid behind his loud screaming, guitar screeching metal, his leather jacket and horrible jokes that ended up hurting people's feelings. "You must know Alex that his death is not on your hands." Alex rose up quickly, his temper flaring to life at the professor's words. "YES IT IS! Don't you understand? This wouldn't have happened if I had never been born with this stupid power! All it's ever done is bring hurt to people!"

"You just need to learn how to control it." Charles spoke clearly and filled with a calm expression that Alex could only fake. He was never a calm individual, he always had all this energy that he had no idea what to do with. He felt his insides bubble with that familiar burst of energy. He gritted his teeth to calm down, yet he felt the energy start to manifest around him, surrounding his body protectively. "You should leave before something bad happens. NOW." Alex spoke, his patience being tested. Thankfully Charles hadn't argued with him that time and it took some time before he was able to calm himself down.

The second visit hadn't went any better but it certainly explained some things to him.

Why things were fuzzy?

Someone had messed with his mind when he had been younger, around sixteen. He had killed a man with his power. Only for it to be deeply repressed and buried within his mind from a mysterious man. He had saved his step-sister and himself from the mad man. But it didn't matter because in the end, his powers had manifested on their own whenever he was in distressed. How he had gotten in prison? He had been walking his way home when he had been eighteen and had been surrounded by four older men looking to do _something_ to him. Alex chalks it up to having been adopted by a wealthy family, that they had been after his money.

Charles didn't bother mentioning or bringing up other possibly scenarios as to why they had chosen him. Calling him pretty boy certainly wasn't one of the things he wanted to talk about. Regardless, his powers had manifested, scaring off the men but it ended up firing into a building. Several buildings...and cars. Alex had nearly destroyed half the street before the fire fighters and police squad cars made it to the scene. He was then booked and sent to a prison for vandalism and arson. If Charles and Erik hadn't came for him, he'd have been rotting there in prison for three more years before he had a hearing for an appeal of probation.

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><p><strong>SEVEN YEARS LATER.<strong>

Now...

Now he was twenty six going on twenty seven, helped teaching classes and had grown up some.

"Here kitty kitty. Hank! Hank, I was kidding!"

Sort of.

Now, now Alex was running away futilely from a blue beast who became nothing more than a blur of speed. Alex laughed as he ran, trying to gain some ground but failing. He had been showing a few of their students how to successfully taunt an enemy into focusing on you just in case one of your team-mates was in trouble. Alex was thankfully saved by his usual partner in crime, Sean also known as Banshee. The other male who was only a couple of years younger than Alex swooped up before Hank could pounce on him and gathered him in his arms rather easily compared to their first time flying together. A round of applause was met down below before they landed safely.

"Now in order for you to constantly remain successful in these times of situations... it's extremely important to develop a close friendship with the partner you choose. It's also important to not just pick people in your comfort zone. Think out of the box of how you guys can basically put your powers together to achieve greatness. Now, don't hate me guys, but I have selected pairs based on how I think you would work well together." The moaning and groaning of the teacher picking their partner was heard amongst the small group of ten. "Hey, what did I say? Now... Piotr your partnered with Kitty..." He continued pairing the young mutants with each other. Piotr, also known as Colossus and Kitty also known as Shadow cat would be interesting to see how they could work together. They were barely twelve, but he found it important to constantly impart the idea of how to control your powers and use them right no matter how old you were.

_"Alex, I believe you should come to my office..there's someone here you should see."_ Confusion clouded his mind as soon as the voice left his own thoughts. What was happening? Before he could dwell on it, he dismissed the class, patted Sean on the arm and said he'd catch up with him later before heading inside. Alex was utterly confused. Wait, perhaps he had a new student? Ever since the new Cerebro had been rebuilt and finished, they had been working hard to finding people like them.

Inviting them to their now up and running school. Not only did Alex help them with learning how to work together and help with their powers. He also taught Geophysics for the high school grade and regular earth science for the middle school children that recently came in. Regardless, when he finally reached Xavier's office. What and _who _he saw before his eyes had him believing he was dreaming. Whether it was a good dream or a nightmare remained to be unseen.

But this wouldn't be the first time.

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><p><strong>Any feedback appreciated! Like it? Let me know so I can start working on chapter three. : )<br>**


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